You generally need to take your ACT by the fall of your senior year at the latest. Most universities want to see your scores almost a year before you’d actually begin your fall university studies. So students should choose their ACT test dates with this in mind. However, for most students, it’s not a good…

Teamwork, and its close cousin, leadership, are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. Haven’t worked in teams on any regular basis? Don’t worry! There are more ways than you may realize to prove your chops in this area. Consider the following 4 options: 1. Remember: No Man is an Island Unless you’ve been living alone…

How many times have you wandered through a bookstore, opening up a book to read the first few lines only to quickly close it again? How often have you read one of those free samples on your Kindle, only to decide after a paragraph that you’re glad you didn’t buy it? Similarly, how many times…

Assuming that your daughter has both test scores and GPA in the competitive range for her top choice schools, what else makes her stand out in a positive way? In my five years of reviewing undergraduate applications for admission to the University of Michigan, I considered a number of additional factors in determining overall fit:…

Looking for the secret to making your MBA admissions experience go as smoothly as possible? The BEST thing you can do to make sure your MBA application efforts pay off is to give yourself the gift of TIME. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to designate the time you need to do the things you…

Now, now. Don’t get angry. Deal. First and foremost, focus. And use writing techniques that convey your message and stay within the word limits. What writing techniques are those? Glad you asked! 1. Minimize use of the passive voice. • Passive: Experience A has been complemented by experience B. (8 words) • Active: Experience B…

This year, the University of California has done away with the traditional personal statement, and has developed a list of eight “personal insight” questions. Applicants are asked to choose four of the eight questions, and respond in 350 words or less. General advice on these questions: • Read over all eight questions and as you…

In my previous post, I discussed the importance of maintaining an appropriate tone in your admissions essay, and provided tips for checking your tone, specifically for finding a confident tone and avoiding arrogance. Once again, “tone” refers to a writer’s attitude toward their subject (and their reader). Your tone comes across in your choice of…

“Tone” is often one of the aspects of writing that applicants find most difficult to pin down. And yet, when you’re writing, it is also one of the most important to control so that you maintain an appropriate tone for your purpose. One way to think about “tone” is to understand it as conveying your…

Each year, Accepted consultants are witnessing a recurring epidemic. And it’s worse than you can imagine: Generic–itis. The symptoms: • Mind-blowing, meaningless, and grand generic declarative statements, related to why an applicant wants to attend a certain program. • Irritation to admissions readers, causing them to believe that you know nothing about their school and don’t…

I like to read biographies and personal profiles (that’s one of the reasons I like my work so much). I recommend that you check out Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation, in which he clearly demonstrates the journalist’s ability to engage — you can learn from these techniques when you sit down to write your personal statement. Here…

Okay, you’ve calmed down after your initial essay-writing anxiety, and you still don’t know where to begin. How do you capture your whole life in the meager number of characters allotted? Whether you’re feeling stuck or feeling overwhelmed by all the ideas bouncing around in your head, a stellar technique to start with is called…

REMINDER: Only 2 days left to take advantage of Accepted’s current prices before our prices go up. Effective at 12:00 AM PT on Thursday, September 1, 2016, Accepted will increase all prices on its admissions consulting packages and hourly services. Accepted’s admissions consultants have helped literally thousands of MBA, law, med, grad, and college applicants…

Along with the basic Common Application essay, the Ivy League schools require supplemental essay responses. These additional essays help these elite schools gain a deeper understanding of you as an applicant. They are your opportunity to explain how the school is a good match for you and how you can enhance the college community. These…

Ivy League schools require supplemental essay responses in addition to the basic Common Application essay. These elite schools try to gain a deeper understanding of the applicant through these supplemental responses. Think of them as your opportunity to explain how the school is a good match for you and vise versa. Your goal is to…

1. The essay has changed Many students recall the ACT essay as a cakewalk, with prompts debating the merits of school uniforms being about as intellectual rigors as you’d get. Well, those days are now over and the essay is much more difficult and nuanced than that. As an educator I’d argue it is definitely…

We just wanted to give you a head’s up that we’ll be increasing our prices September 1. So what does this mean for you? It means that you’ve got until Wednesday, August 31, 2016 to lock in a service at the current, low rate. Browse our catalog of services today to get an early start…

By now, many of you have received answers from early application efforts – either you got in…or you didn’t. If you got in, congrats – you probably feel amazing! However, if you face a fistful or rejections or waitlist notifications, then it’s normal and ok to feel disappointed and to express that disappointment. But I…

It will come as no surprise that Harvard consistently ranks among the top universities in the world. Its highly regarded reputation and academic chops attract the best and brightest. It accepts the Common Application as well as the Universal College Application (with no preference). Both of these applications require an essay response. The alluring Harvard…

Most of us have heard the saying “less is more,” but how many of us put it into practice when it counts? Your application essays are the perfect forum for reaping the benefits of this deceptively simple principle. First, what does “less is more” really mean? It’s the idea that we must resist our natural tendency…